Mackinac Island Wildlife
Mackinac Island Wildlife
Visitors to Mackinac Island can easily spot the human wildlife on the city's downtown streets: the stressed parents, the over-eager kids, the walkers and bikers intent on fudge and souvenirs.
Adventurous visitors, however, know there is more wildlife to see away from downtown. Trekking out up and out of town can take hikers to the horse trails or the unpaved roads that lead to places like Arch Rock, Sugar Loaf, or the Crack in the Island.
On these trails, in place of strollers and bikes, visitors are more likely to encounter the more natural type of Mackinac Island wildlife. The cedar and maple thick woods and rock shorelines of Mackinac Island are home to a variety of wildlife creatures, from birds of prey to otter and mink and more.
A hike through the horse trails might mean spotting a pileated woodpecker. Or a bald eagle. Keep hiking and you might catch sight of—or at least hear—a barred owl.
Along the shoreline, it is easy to spot the various gulls home on Mackinac Island, such as the Ring-Billed and the Herring Gull. Keen birders might also spot a Great Black-backed Gull, or a Common Tern diving for a meal among the rocks.
Ducks and duck-like birds also abound at Mackinac Island. Mallards are common inhabitants, as are Mergansers. The Common Cormorant thrives here, diving for fish from the rocky reaches of the break walls, or near the state's freight dock at British Landing.
Otter and mink also sometimes play along the shoreline. A family of beaver kept a large lodge near Mission Point Resort until recently as well.
Back in the woods, songbirds and perching birds serenade from first light to sunset. Keen birders might even see (or at least hear) the venerated Wood Thrush.
Careful observers might even spot white-tailed deer in the woods. In the past several years, a handful of these four-legged visitors have made their way to Mackinac Island, sometimes swimming over from Round Island or Bois Blanc Island, or trekking over via the ice in winter.
Whether you want to ease up close near some wildlife, or simply find a new vantage point for taking in the scenery, a hike & paddle with Great Turtle Kayak Tours is a great call. This quiet mode of movement provides visitors the best opportunity to see and hear the fauna at home on Mackinac Island.
Glen Young, kayak guide, ski instructor, and long time Mackinac Island seasonal resident.